Mario Williams Out For Year

The Texans suffered more than a loss to the Raiders yesterday. They also lost one of their leaders on defense. Linebacker Mario Williams is done for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Williams leads the team (and is tied for fourth in the NFL) with 5.0 sacks.

Williams, 26, was the first overall pick in the 2006 draft. His pick was controversial because Houston passed on a chance to take Reggie Bush, who ended up going to the Saints. Williams, however, proved to be the right choice as he recorded 14.0 sacks in his second season, and has 53 in his career. Bush on the other hand, has 34 total touchdowns and 21 fumbles, and has averaged a pedestrian 3.9 yards per carry in his career (the Saints did win a Super Bowl though, and Houston’s never made the playoffs).

Williams left Monday’s game in the first quarter; he was barely able to move his arms as he left the field. Rookie Brooks Reed, a second round pick out of Arizona, is likely to take Williams’ place in the line-up.

This is the second major blow to Houston in two weeks. In week four’s win over Pittsburgh, the team lost star Wide-Out Andre Johnson to a hamstring injury. He’s expected to miss at-least three more weeks.

The Houston Chronicle initially reported Williams would miss the remainder of the year.